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Kaipara Flats School Vision:

Every child succeeding in an encouraging and stimulating learning environment.

Principals Message

Kia Ora

My name is Debbie Hamer and I am delighted to have been appointed to the position of Principal at Kaipara Flats Primary School.

My family and I originally hale from the UK. We emigrated to New Zealand in 2000 seeking a more relaxed, family focussed, rural life style, which we found in the Whangaripo Valley. My first teaching experience in New Zealand was at Tomarata Primary School, where my children attended and grew into the Kiwis they are today. We found ourselves embraced by the school and community and knew we’d made the right decision in coming to New Zealand. After 7 years at Tomarata, I moved into a new position at Mahurangi College, where I remained for 10 years. During this time I developed my leadership skills by becoming a House Dean and Deputy Head of Faculty for the Year 7 and 8 area. This enabled me to coach teachers in developing their teaching practice, understanding of 21st Century learning skills and to work with a diverse range of learners, from Year 7 to Year 13. When the opportunity came to apply for the position of Principal at Kaipara Flats, I jumped! It meant that I could go back to my roots, to the type of rural school my family and I had so enjoyed at Tomarata.

As I take up my position here, we have a growing school of 97 (February 2018) children in four classes. We have a new classroom arriving later in the year, which is a very exciting development. I know that our teachers will continue to provide a supportive, positive environment where every child is nurtured and developed to meet their potential. Our experienced highly skilled staff care deeply about their children and go the extra mile to ensure their students are developed in every possible way. Also happening in 2018, we have plans for a partial redevelopment of the school playground and we will be developing plans for our outside learning area, currently the old pony paddock.

In relation to learning opportunities, in 2018 we will continue the review of our curriculum documents and the way we implement the New Zealand Curriculum at Kaipara Flats. I look forward to this work being reflected in our children’s outcomes improving even further on our high level of achievement.

Kaipara Flats School provides a wonderfully rural environment and draws on a rich tradition with many of the families represented on our role being second and third generation, this underpins the very strong set of values that guide us as educators.

A feature of our school is the way in which our senior students care for our younger students and create a real family environment. The nature of our school enables us to give all children a full range of experiences and learning experiences, nobody misses out, when we go to inter-school events we often take the whole school.

Another strong influence at Kaipara Flats is our very strong community involvement. Our PTA playing an instrumental part in fundraising and perpetuating the strong links we have to our community and to each other. We also have a strong parental presence within our programmes and in our classrooms.

I would like to thank the BoT for giving me this opportunity at Kaipara Flats School. I bring with me expertise in curriculum development and 21st Century teaching and learning skills. I consider myself to be a supportive, collaborative leader, with an absolute passion for education